WHO Issues Warning Over Severe Lack of Weight-Loss Jabs
Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, through approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests users may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, when their typical food cravings come back.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
